Assorting case and table for post-offices.



No. 732,345; -PATENTBD JUNE so, 1903.

, M. s. FIELD.

ASSORTING GASE AND TABLE FORPOST OFFICES.

APPLICATION IILED'MAE, 2, 1903.

no MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented June 30, 1903 PATENT OFFICE.

MAROELLUS S. FIELD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,345, dated June 30, 1903.

Application filed March 2, 1903.

To aZZ whom, it may concern;

Be it known that I, MAROELLUS S. FIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Assorting Cases and Tables for Post- Offices, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is -a specification, like figures on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to an article of furniture which is common in post-offices and which is usually termed an assorting-case. These assorting-cases usually comprise a table, above which is supported a case having a plurality of pigeonholes or shelves with compartments. In using the article the mail to be assorted is placed upon the table, and as an employee assorts it he places the mail going to different destinations in different compartments or pigeonholes of the assorting-case. These cases may either be used for assorting the mail which is to go to different destinations or to assist a carrier in assorting his mail and getting it arranged so that it can be readily delivered when he is on his route. In either case the pigeonholes or compartments usually have inscribed beneath or above them words or characters, these words or characters in the former case indicating the destination of the mail-matter placed in the compartments and in the latter case indicating different points on the route of the carrier at which mail is to be delivered. After the mail has thus been assorted and filed in the case it is ready for despatoh or delivery. While when these cases are used for assorting mail according to its destination they have been commonly termed assorting-cases, yet this term is varied somewhat in accordance with the particular use to which the device is put, and in many instances it is referred to as a distributingcase or a separating or filing case.

In the majority of assorting-cases as at present constructed the case of pigeonholes or compartments is supported directly upon the top of the table and at the back thereof, and hence permanently occupies a portion of the table-top. The only portion of the tabletop available for receiving mail-matter, there fore, is that portion in front of the case of Serial No. 145,660. (No model.)

pigeonholes. To provide additional room upon the top of the table Without increasing the size of the table, it has been proposed to so construct and support the case of pigeonholes that it may be elevated above the table, so that the portion of the table-top immediately beneath the case may be made available for the reception of mail-matter. In both of these constructions, however, the case is situated at the back portion of the table and in a more or less inconvenient position for the post-office employee who is filing mailmatter in the various compartments.

It is the object of my present invention to provide a novel assorting-case which is so con-.

structed that the entire surface of the tabletop is available for the reception of mailmatter, and the case of pigeonholes may be brought toward the front of the table and within convenient reach of the person assorting the mail while mail-matter is being filed in it.

My novel assorting-case comprises the usual table and a case having compartments supported above the table and movable toward and from the front of the table.

' In the preferred embodiment of my invention I have supported the case of pigeonholes upon swinging'supports, which are in turn secured to the table, and by swinging the supports the case may be carried toward the front of the table and into convenient reach of the person assorting the mail or may be carried clear to the back of the table,- thus permitting the entire vtop of the table to be used for the storage of bulky mail-matter. The swinging supports are so constructed that even when the case of pigeonholes is in its front position it is supported sufficiently far above the table-top so that the entire surface of the latter is available for the storage of ordinary mail-matter.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of my improved assorting-case, and Fig. a side view thereof.

3 designates the table which may-be of any suitable or usual construction, and 4 t'he top of the table, on which the mail-matter which is to be distributed or assorted is deposited.

The case of pigeonholes or compartments is designated by 5, and this may be constructed in any suitable or usual way, according to the particular use to which the device is to be put. In the drawings I have shown it as havinga series of co mparativelylarge pigeonholes or compartments 6.

In order to enable the case 5 to be moved toward and from the front of the table, I have in this embodiment of my invention supported the same upon swinging supports 7, which are hinged at one end to the table, as at 8, and at the other end to the case, as at 9. I have illustrated herein two such supports or struts at each end of the case 5. The result of this construction is that the case 5 and the supports have a parallel-ruler motion, and consequently the case is always maintained in its upright or vertical position at any point in its path of movement. \Vith this construction it will be apparent that the case may be swung either forward or backward about the supports. When swung forward into the dotted-line position to the left, Fig. 2, it is comparatively near the front of the table and within easy reach of the person asserting the mail, while when swung backward into either the full-line position or the dotted-line position to the right it is carried out of the way, so that the entire table-top is made available for the reception of bulky mail-matter. Any suitable means may be employed for limiting the movement of the case 5 or for holding it in any adjusted position. For limiting its forward movement I have herein illustrated a suitable stop 10, secured to the sides 11 of the table and against which one of the struts or supports 7 is adapted to rest. This stop will preferably be so positioned that even when the case 5 is in its forward position the bottom of it is situated far enough above the table-top 4 so that the latter is available for the reception of ordinary mail-matter, such as letters.

In using the device the smaller mail-mat ter, such as letters and circulars, is usually distributed or assorted first, and during the assorting of such matter the case will be pulled in its forward position, as shown in dotted lines at the left in Fig. 2. As stated above, even when the case is in this position the entire table-top is available for the reception of this class of matter. After the letters, &c., have been distributed the case may be swung into its full-line position, Fig. 2, or, if desired, into the dotted-line position to the right, Fig. 2. When in either of these two positions, the entire table-top is opened up or available for the reception of large and bulky mail-matter, such as packages or papers. It will be noted that the pivotal point 8 for the support 7 is so positioned on the table that when the case is in the fullline position, Fig. 5, the struts or supports have been carried past their dead-center. The case may be held in this position either by permitting it to rest upon the back board of the table or suitable removable stops 12 may be employed for engaging the struts 7. These stops may be of anysuitable constructiou-such, for instance, as pins inserted through any one of a series of holes 14 in the side board 11 of the table. If desired, the back board of the table may be of such a height as to permit the case 5 to swing into the dotted-line position at the right, Fig. 2, and said case maybe heldin this position either by stops similar to 12 or by one of the struts 7 swinging onto and engaging the other. By providing a series of holes 14 for the stop-pins 12 the case 5 may be held in any adjusted position between the three positions illustrated in Fig. 2.

\Vhile I have illustrated a stop 10 to limit the forward movement of the case, it will be obvious that a. pin 12 may be employed or the struts 7 may be so secured to the table and case that the engagement of one with the other will operate to limit the movement of the case.

From the above it will be seen that my assorting-case comprises a case of pigeonholes or compartments which may be lowered toward and elevated from the table-top and at the same time may be carried toward or from the front of the table, and may therefore be brought into convenient position for the operator when he is assorting the mail or may be elevated from the table-top and swung back from the front thereof to expose the entire table-top for the reception of large and bulky mail-matter.

While I have herein shown one simple and eificient way of mounting the case to accomplish these objects, I do not wish to be limited tov the exact construction shown, as it will be obvious that other ways of supporting the case 5 may be devised which will permit the case to be moved toward and from the front of the table and also elevated from the table-top without departing in any way from the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. In a device of the class described, a table, an assorting-case, swinging supports for said case, the swinging movement of the'supports carrying the case from the rear of the table toward the front thereof, and stop devices to hold the case in either of its two extreme positions, said case in both of said positions being supported sufficiently far above the table-top to leave the entire surface of the latter available for the storage of mail.

2. In a device of the class described, a table, an assorting-case, swinging supports for said case, the swinging movement of said supports carrying said case toward and from the table, and also toward and from the front of the table, and stop devices to hold the case in either of its two extreme positions, the stop device for limiting the movement toward the table being so placed that when the assorting-case is in its lowered position, it is still sufficiently far above the table-top to leave the entire surface of the latter available for the storage of mail.

assorting-oase supported by said members, and means to hold the case in any adjusted position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 15 name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MARCELLUS S. FIELD.

Witnesses:

LoUIs 0. SMITH, GEO. W. GREGORY. 

